New Boy
by PickledMirror
Summary: Phil Lester is fine and dandy with being his grade's geeky outcast, and doesn't want anything to change. Enter Dan Howell, the incredibly cute new kid. He could have anyone in the school. But for some reason, he's set his sights on Phil. High school AU! ***ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm a sucker for high school Phan AUs, so I figured I'd give it a go. I had the hazy idea for the plot when I was half asleep in a car, so I apologize if it's a tad strange. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

Phil's POV

I sighed, wishing I was any place but at Sophia's party. I was standing near the fireplace awkwardly, watching as many of my fellow teenagers performed acts of what I assumed they thought passed as dancing. I grimaced, noticing a particularly clingy couple making out/swaying to the music in the middle of the room. Maybe there was some sort of appeal in shoving your tongue down someone's throat, but I certainly didn't get it. It seemed positively revolting.

I visibly shuddered and closed my eyes. Maybe if I wished I wasn't there, I could just disappear. Blinking, I clutched my drink to my chest (water, thank you very much) and sighed again. I had zero interest in the party, and could not wait to leave.

I contemplated hiding out in one of the many bedrooms until all of Sophia's "guests" left, but immediately dismissed the idea once I imagined what, or who, I would stumble in on upon opening the door.

 _God,_ I thought scornfully. _Why can't straight people keep it in their pants?_ I glanced around the room again. Sophia's family was certainly well off. Expensive and expertly placed furniture was scattered around the grand living room, and costly paintings done by obscure artists dotted the walls. The focal point of the lavish room, however, was the giant fireplace. Made of large, polished rocks and shiny, high quality wood, I figured it cost more than my car.

But it wasn't just a tasteful choice in home decoration. It was also the perfect hiding spot for antisocial, non-party-goers such as myself. I was actually quite content cowering in its monstrous shadow, but it soon became clear Sophia had other ideas.

The blonde in question was marching towards me, fury radiating off her. Her typically pretty face was alight with anger, and her cheeks were a burning shade of red.

Sophia Anderson's parents were good friends with mine, and had been since school, so we had grown up together. Sophia's hated me since we were maybe eleven, when she decided I wasn't "cool enough" to be her actual friend and left me in the dust. However, our parents continued to thrive in their friendship, and we have been forced together too many times to count.

On that particular night, both of our parents went out to do some adult thing, and wouldn't be back until the wee hours of the morning. Sophia, being the horrifically social girl she was, decided to throw a crazy party for what seemed like our entire school. I didn't want to be there, but I had nowhere else to go. I had arrived at the Andersons with my parents, and they had taken the car. I was stuck for the night.

I pushed myself away from the fireplace, inwardly groaning. I mentally prepared myself my Sophia's wrath. I knew what was coming my way.

"Philip Lester!" She whisper-shouted at me, stopping about a foot away from me. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You look like a serial killer!"

It took a lot of willpower to not roll my eyes. A serial killer? Really? "I'm literally just standing here." I responded, keeping my voice flat and my expression blank. I had mastered this stoicism around Sophia years ago, when I realized showing any sign of emotion would just fuel her fiery rage.

"No! You're moping! Which is utterly ridiculous!" She replied, her voice slightly raised. I had no idea why she was so angry about me simply just standing silently.

She raked a hand through her peroxide blonde hair, taking a calming breath. I noticed she did seem more stressed than usual. I was beginning to become confused.

"Look, Phil, Daniel is coming tonight, and it needs to be perfect!" Sophia declared, her brief moment of lacking confidence lost in the wind. My eyebrow furrowed, and I gave her a confused look.

"Daniel? Do I know him?" I inquired. Sophia rolled her eyes.

"No, Philip. You don't know him. He's a new kid I met at Starbucks yesterday. And he's fucking attractive, so I swear to god, Phil, if you ruin this for me-" Sophia began, but was cut off by a handsome, posh voice behind her.

"Soph?" The mystery man called. I craned my neck to see around her head, but she was already spinning around and rushing towards the voice. Her facial expression changed completely. How she can go from raging bitch to teenage beauty queen, I'll never know.

"Daniel!" she squealed, launching herself into the arms of a _very_ good looking boy I'd never seen before. The first thing I noticed was his height. He was incredibly tall, about my height, and was dressed in all black. Black shoes, black skinny jeans, slightly loose black and gray tee shirt. A plain black hoodie with a silver zip was draped over one of his arms. He had brown hair, styled in a fringe similar to mine bit parted on the opposite side. I subconsciously brushed my black hair out of my eyes. I took it all in, slightly confused. He wasn't Sophia's usual type at all. He was more up my alleyway, to be honest. I finally let myself focus on his face, which was still home to a shocked expression. Probably from Sophia's surprise attack-hug. My breathing hitched.

Staring directly at me was the most gorgeous pair of eyes I'd ever seen in my entire existence. One might describe them as brown, but I lacked the vocabulary to describe the depth and richness of them. They were dark in color but light and burnished in soul, and twinkled in the light. A slight smile was plastered across his face, and his eyes crinkled adorably. They shimmered with nervousness and excitement and something else that I just couldn't quite place. His countenance changed abruptly, and he grinned at me. He had lightly tanned skin and the cutest dimple I had ever seen. I broke eye contact as I realized what I was thinking. I could feel myself blushing.

"Danny! I'm so glad you could make it!" Sophia cooed, her saccharine sweet voice jolting me out of my thoughts. Despite the obvious crush I was suddenly harboring for this boy, I wanted nothing to do with Sophia. I quickly began to walk away from them, skirting around the pair. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Daniel's smile drop. I was a few feet away when I heard his voice, and froze.

"Actually, Soph, I would _love_ to go somewhere with you, but I think I overheard some girl saying some nasty things about you," the Daniel boy said rather loudly. "I think I heard one of her friends call her Rachel?" I whirled around, just in time to see Sophia's face fill with rage.

"That _bitch_!" Sophia snarled, and stalked away from the new boy to where I presumed Rachel was. I made eye contact with Daniel, who suddenly looked nervous. I made a realization, and barked out a laugh as I made my way towards him.

"You didn't overhear anyone, did you?" I asked him, unable to suppress my grin. He let out the breath he must've been holding, and shook his head. I laughed again, and was rewarded with his stunning smile once again. I smiled and took a sip of my water.

"So which is it?" I asked him. "Danny or Daniel? I need to know what one I should call you if we're going to get along."

"Neither, actually." He replied. I gave him a quizzical look. He stuck his hand out, beaming. "I'm Dan Howell." I smiled. _Dan_ , I thought. _I like it._

"Phil." I said, taking his outstretched hand. It was warm and kind of soft, and he had a strong grip. I could feel my face flushing, and immediately cursed my pale, obvious skin. "Phil Lester."

 **And that's a wrap! I'm hoping that this fic will actually be on the longer side, and I'll get into the actual school part and such next time. Until then!**

 **Word Count: 1,365**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! To everyone in America, I hope your Labor Day Weekend is great! As for everyone else, I hope you all just had a great weekend! Now, I'm back with Chapter Two of New Boy. I hope you all enjoy!**

Dan's POV

The only reason I went to that party was so I could meet Phil. When I had met Soph the day before at Starbucks, we had been in the middle of a conversation about how I could never, _ever_ call her by her full name under _any_ circumstances, and her phone, which was resting on the armrest in between us, began to vibrate like crazy. I saw the image of a pale boy with dark hair before Sophia, with a rather peculiar expression, snatched the mobile and leapt up, answering the call with an irritated, "What do you want, Phil Lester?!"

I found it rather unusual that she would answer in such a snappy way, considering the goddamn hearts I had glimpsed on his contact name. Not that I could blame her, though. From what I saw, he seemed to be a plenty attractive boy. They had held a quick, seemingly heated conversation before Sophia ended the call angrily, her face nearly glowing with annoyance and an emotion I couldn't quite place.

She hurriedly sank back into the soft chair she had previously occupied and launched into a rant about how _positively horrendous_ this Phil Lester lad was and how he was _so fucking annoying_ and how he was like a _fucking male Snow White_ and he had _no idea how to leave her the hell alone_ , completely unaware that I could easily hear the affection in her voice. Try as she might to hide it, she was clearly in love with Phil Lester.

After she had cooled down ever so slightly, I politely asked if I could see a photograph of the boy, just so I knew who she was talking about. She whipped out her phone and opened it up, complaining about how his hair was _so disgustingly 2007_ , ignoring the fact that her lock screen was of her and Phil, along with four adults who I assumed were their parents. She flipped through her photos, the majority of them Phil. She griped and groaned the whole time about Phil, and if I hadn't been totally engrossed in the photos, I probably would've voiced how obvious she was being.

Phil had hair parallel to mine, but the similarities seemed to end there. He had ivory skin and dark locks that framed his face perfectly, and prominent slate blue eyes. There was something unbelievably striking about his gaze, even though it was just through a camera. In a photo that Sophia had taken while Phil was playing a video game and not paying attention to her, I noticed his cheekbones. Damn those cheekbones. That was probably what got me. He was gorgeous, and despite his dark hair, seemed to emit a certain brightness. All I had seen was a couple of pictures, and I was head over heels.

So when Sophia asked me to come to her party the next night, I immediately said yes. She thought of it as a way for me to meet the people in our grade, but I just saw it as an opportunity to meet Phil.

When I saw Sophia talking frantically to Phil by the fireplace the next night, I wondered how he didn't see her affection towards him. He was expressionless, but breathtaking nonetheless. I marveled at how he was so much taller in person. From what Soph had said in her tirade the day before, I had gathered that Phil liked Buffy, anime, lions, and pancakes. I thought it was a strange mix, but endearing regardless.

But once we introduced ourselves, and Sophia was long gone, I froze up. I was fucking speechless. I silently cursed Phil for being so damn attractive. He just kept on smiling. That smile could provide more light and shimmer than the sun, and it was directed at me.

"You do know her name isn't _actually_ Soph, right?" he asked me, casually shoving his hands in his pockets. Damn. I loved his accent. I snorted, surprising myself at how nonchalant I was being.

"I was warned to never say her full name under _any_ circumstances," I replied, rolling my eyes. Phil grinned.

"So you're new in town then?" he queried, his expression innocently curious. Wow. This boy was honestly going to be the death of me. "When's your first day?"

"Damn, how much did Soph tell you?" I asked in reply, inwardly cringing at my tone. But Phil just laughed. Was everything amusing to this guy?

"Not much, just enough to make me curious," he responded with a smirk. Fucking hell. Was he actually flirting with me? From what Sophia had told me, Phil wasn't always the most social person. I reddened at his sudden coquettish attitude but pulled myself together to make an adequate response.

"I'll be starting on Monday. You go to the same school as Sophia, I assume?" I replied with a grin. He smiled back dazzlingly.

"The one and only." His voice truly did have a splendid sound to it. I opened my mouth to say some witty remark back, but snapped it shut when Phil's smile dropped. He flicked his eyes to someone behind me, the blue icy and cold with a glimmer of purpose. I whirled around and saw Sophia making her way towards us through the crowed room. Grimacing, I turned back to Phil, but he was gone.

Moving my eyes around the room frantically, my gaze finally fell on the dark haired boy, who was slipping out of the room through a previously closed door. I stepped in his direction, but Phil had already shut the door. I felt a stab of hurt shoot through my body, but nearly all my emotions were replaced with annoyance when I felt slender arms wrap around my waist.

"Let's dance," Sophia murmured in what I assume she thought was a seductive purr. I turned and found myself staring down at her wobbly green eyes. Her breath reeked of alcohol. It took all I had in me not to roll my eyes. She left completely sober and was somehow tipsy by the time she returned not five minutes later. I slowly peeled her limbs off of me, ignoring her as she whined.

"Sorry, I don't dance." I told her simply, my voice cool and collected. That was actually a lie. I danced okay enough, and if a certain boy with morning blue eyes had been in her places, we would've already been halfway into a waltz. Pulling myself away from her, I sidestepped and headed in the direction of the front door.

I had accomplished my mission for the night, but it hadn't all gone as I planned. I couldn't care less that I leaving a pouting Sophia in my wake, but I knew Phil was still somewhere in that house. I sighed as I wiggled my way through the crowd. How were there so many guests? I regretted not asking for Phil's number, but I would see him on Monday.

As I made my way into the foyer, it was then that I realized Monday was still two days away. Groaning, I wrenched open the front door, stepping backwards as a giggling couple stumbled in the house. I stepped through the doorway, yanking on my hoodie. _What a glorious end to the evening_ , I thought sullenly as I plodded down the front steps. I didn't turn and look at the house as I practically stomped down the driveway. Which was a shame, really, because if I had, I probably would've noticed Phil watching me with interest through an upstairs window.

 **So I may have lied about getting to the school part in this chapter, but oh well!**

 **Word Count: 1,322**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: AHH SURPRISE! Two chapters on the same day! I honestly just couldn't wait to write this, so here I am, with Chapter 3 of New Boy! Enjoy!**

 _Monday Morning_

Phil's POV

After meeting Dan on Friday, my weekend had been rather uneventful. For that I was grateful, considering the impact the events of the party had on me. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday attempting to find something, _anything_ , that would keep my mind off Dan. No such luck, however.

It was honestly ridiculous how much my thoughts trailed off and I would find myself thinking about the new boy. I had maybe said a few sentences to him before running off. I had no idea why I left him, but it just _happened_. I regretted it immediately.

I had felt rather smug when Dan left though, seeing that he had refused Sophia and wanted nothing to do with the party. A tiny part of my brain said it was because I was no longer there, but I refused to entertain that ludicrous hope.

As I shrugged on my bag come Monday morning, I promised myself something. Dan was an attractive new kid, and therefore would attract plenty attention. I would not pay any attention to him until he said something to me. Which was unlikely. That particular thought pained me, but I ignored the hurt my own thought had caused me and instead called out a goodbye to my mother before heading outside.

I closed the door gently behind me, careful not to slam it, and jogged over to my car. It was small and slightly beat up, but it was silver and named Nessie and I just couldn't bring myself to get something else. The drive to school wasn't long, but it was quiet without the radio playing and all I could hear was my thoughts. It felt like the longest drive in existence. I blamed Dan and his thought-worthy-ness for this.

I pulled into the parking lot, and parked as close to the school as I could get. I got out of the car, tucking my keys into my sweatshirt pocket, I noticed two familiar heads of hair near the doors. Long, unnaturally light blonde hair on a slim girl and brown hair nearly identical to mine on a tall boy. Inwardly groaning, I grabbed my backpack and slammed my car door closed. Sophia was annoying as anything and Dan filled my mind with thoughts I couldn't deal with this early in the morning. For some reason unknown to me, my parents had skipped out on making a pot of coffee this morning, and thanks to them I now felt like an irritated zombie.

I ducked my head down and headed in the direction of the school's side doors. It was a longer trek, but I honestly could not bring myself to face Dan and deal with Sophia. Just before I rounded the corner, I turned my head to look at Dan and Soph one last time, and found myself trapped in the brown eyed gaze of the one boy I didn't want to notice me. _Great_.

I grimaced and gave an awkward half-wave, before turning back and walking hurriedly to the doors. I could feel Dan's eyes watching me as I walked away. I could already tell this was going to be a long day.

I pushed through the doors and began the long walk to my locker. No one gave me a second glance, making me feel as though I might as well been invisible. I used to be known as Phil the Geek, but now I wasn't really known at all.

As I walked, I heard words ranging from whispers to shouts, all about the same thing. Or, same person. It was none other than Daniel Howell. It wasn't much of a shock, really, considering _everyone_ knew Sophia, and the majority of our school's A-listers had been invited to that party. By A-listers, I mean those on the higher end of what I think of as the social status ladder. I was, quite probably, the only so-called bottom feeder at that party.

I heard bits and pieces of conversations. Rumors of his relationship with Sophia and his spectacular good looks circulated. I couldn't disagree with the discussions of the latter, however any talk of a romance between him and Sophia never failed to merit an incredulous snort.

I reached my locker after what felt like decades and pulled out my notes from the previous week's maths class. I gathered up my belongings and wandered down the hall towards the classroom. As I was about to step inside, I noticed a swarm of girls and nonspecific guys making its way down the already crowded hallway. Dan was the center, and seemingly the focal point of the group. Sophia was abnormally close to him. I rolled my eyes and walked into the classroom, pointedly ignoring them.

As I sank down into my desk Dan and his groupies passed by. I turned the other way, hoping to ignore the group. Once again, no such luck.

"Sorry guys, I think this my first class today. Soph, I'll see you at lunch, yeah?" Dan's voice rang out. I eyed the doorway as Dan said his goodbyes to people I vaguely recognized but knew I had went to school with for years.

As Dan walked into the classroom somewhat nervously, I reached in my backpack and pulled out my phone and earbuds. I plugged them in and selected a Muse song at random. Dan was talking to the teacher about something, and the volume of the class steadily rose as second ticked by. I settled back into my desk, closing my eyes as I waited for the bell to ring. Today felt like it was getting longer and longer.

Classes continued to pass, just as Dan seemed to continue to be in nearly all my classes, and it was soon lunch break. I sat at a small table near the doors, where I eat nearly every day. Dan was sitting at a large table filled with all his newly acquired enthusiasts. Upon walking into the cafeteria, I immediately noticed the large swarm of teenagers, and made a point to avoid them. When I sat down at my table, I noticed Dan staring at me intently, but I quickly broke eye contact and focused on my lunch.

I had just opened the plastic bag which held my sandwich when a familiar boy plopped down on the seat next to me. I looked up and there he was. The boy who had been plaguing my thoughts all day. I stayed silent, staring at him in shock. What would his friends think of him hanging around outcasts like me?

"Hello, Phil. You've been avoiding me," he said with a coy smile before going a pale and exclaiming, "Shit! That was not intended to be so ominous!" He was now blushing horribly. I smiled at his antics before fixing my face into an expression of admiration and let out a fake gasp.

"Is _the_ Dan Howell talking to me? _Me_?" I asked with faux awe. I was rewarded unexpectedly with Dan's loud, joyously surprising laugh. It was a great laugh, really. But he just kept laughing. I smirked down at my sandwich, which lay forgotten on the table in front of me. An idea popped into my head.

"You know, Daniel, I wouldn't be surprised if they started referring to you as Senpai," I told him before taking a bite of my sandwich. Dan laughed again. I was beginning to think he was a tiny bit insane.

"God, how much anime do you watch?" He asked, grinning. "Should I start calling you Phil-San?" At this, I nearly choked.

"W-What?!" I asked, coughing. Did he really just say that? Dan only smiled at me in return before winking – _winking_ \- at me and getting up to go back to his table. I whirled around to watch him go, knowing my face was bright red. He turned his head around once to smirk at me before nonchalantly sitting back down at his table. What even just happened?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! I know, I know, it's been a while. I've missed writing! But school has kept me busy and I've gotten easily distracted in my free time. But I'm back and focused now, so I hope you enjoy this new chapter of New Boy!**

Dan's POV

Seeing Phil alone every day should've broken my heart. I should've felt immensely upset that he seemed to have no friends. I should've been incredibly disheartened that he was alone wherever he was. I should've felt sympathetic to his situation. But no. I wasn't.

I wasn't sad Phil was all by his lonesome. Sure, I knew maybe he got a little lonely from time to time and I could relate and sympathize with that, but I wasn't saddened by his apparent friendlessness. But honestly, I was actually kind of, I don't know, _happy_ about it. I didn't want him to be alone, of course, but I could only see one person beside him. Me. And if it wasn't me, I selfishly didn't want there to be anyone else.

So when I noticed Phil sitting by himself at a lunch table, I just couldn't help myself. I had planned to ask him to hang out or something, no concrete plans, but Jesus, the way he responded to my presence was not at all how I had expected the conversation to go. I had left with my vague mission unaccomplished, but I felt like I was filled with warm bubbles. Strangely enough, it was bliss.

Upon arriving back to the so-called friends I had zero interest in, I only received a few looks from a few people before they went back to their conversations and food. _Okay_ , I thought. _No big deal. Everything's fine_. I stabbed my fork into what I assumed the school system thought counted as lasagna and allowed myself to smile.

I must've jinxed myself or something, because as soon as the forkful of food was in my mouth, someone slammed their hand down on the table. Seeing as I was exceptionally surprised, my food decided to wedge itself in my throat. I coughed and coughed, but I received no help whatsoever from anyone at my table. I supposed they were too busy staring at the terrifying girl who the hand on the table belonged to. After what felt like ages, I managed to choke down the pasta and grabbed my bottle of water, chugging it down.

After confirming I was alive and breathing, I willed myself to look up at the girl. My table was breathless, anxiously waiting to see what appeared to be some sort of fight between me and the girl. It was Soph, green eyes alight with rage and what I suspected was rampant jealousy. I gulped, despite how goddamn cartoonish it was. She was fucking furious. _Oh no_. How hadn't I noticed her absence upon sitting down again?

" _Daniel_ ," she hissed angrily. "I think you and I need should have a little _talk_." Her voice dripped with vehemence. Yup, there was definitely jealousy there. My tablemates remained silent, probably rejoicing at all this drama they were getting to soak up from us.

I nodded and got up. She whirled around and sashayed out of the cafeteria angrily. I grabbed my tray and sped walked to the nearest trash bin, my unappealing lunch long forgotten as it tumbled to the bottom. I hurried out of the same doors that Sophia had exited out of before me. Just before the doors swung shut, I turned and looked back. My gaze slid over the tables until settling on Phil. He was turned and staring at me curiously. Even from the doorway, I could see the worry. I grimaced slightly and shrugged before the doors shut, cutting off my view of the only person I wanted to be with.

I turned my head, looking left and right before spotting Sophia standing somewhat impatiently at the end of the hall. I began to jog towards her. She must've heard my footsteps because she turned to me, her arms crossed. She was definitely angry.

I finally reached the end of the hall, where she had turned back around and was looking out the glass doors leading to the outside world. She spun towards me and her hand shot out. I hardly knew what was happening before I felt the impact of her hand on my cheek and the stinging that followed immediately after.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed, clutching my cheek. Sophia was glaring at me defiantly, as if daring me to say I didn't deserve it. But I didn't even know what I did! I opened my mouth to angrily say so, but snapped it closed when Sophia turned back to the windows. Tears were forming in her iridescent green eyes.

I reached my hand out to give some sort of comfort, but she snatched my hand out of the air, her light blonde hair flying as she spun towards me.

"Don't even say you don't know what you did!" she growled at me. The misery in her voice was plain as day. "I knew you could tell I was in love with Phil! I knew it! But, despite my unnecessary kindness towards you, you, in a complete asshole move, moved in on my best friend!" she screeched the last part. I yanked my wrist out of her tight grip and rubbed the aching fingermarks. My cheek still throbbed, but it was fading, and my anger was taking the place of my pain.

"I don't know what the hell you're on about, _Sophia_ , but all I'm trying to do is become Phil's friend!" I shouted, the bold loudness of my voice shocking us both. Sophia burst into tears, motivation for our conversation gone. She was sobbing, tears blackened from her excessive mascara running down her cheeks. I had no idea what to do, so I stood there awkwardly while she wailed. She finally looked up at me with her bloodshot eyes and brushed a bit of her bleached hair out of her face.

"That may be so," she croaked, "but you probably don't see the way he looks at you." I could only stare dumbly at her. What was she talking about?

"He _never_ looks at me like that. _Ever_." This particular statement of hers send her into another wave of hysterics. I reached my hand out to attempt to comfort her once again, but yanked it back when I heard the door open. I turned warily to glare down the hall, but my body flooded with relief. A dark haired boy peered around the hallway until his eyes settled on us.

"Dan?" Phil called. "Sophia?" He dashed down the hall and nearly collided with me. He cast a confused look at me before approaching Sophia and wrapping his arms around her. She sunk into his arms, tears continuing to flow. He looked concerned and worried, all traces of irritation I would expect from him nowhere to be found. All I could see was unease and confusion.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Soap, it's alright," he whispered soothingly to her. I raised an eyebrow. _Soap_? Phil noticed my intrigued expression as he stroked her hair and shrugged ever so slightly. _Childhood nickname_ , he mouthed at me. Or, at least I assumed he did. I wasn't entirely sure.  
The bell rang overhead, signaling the end of the lunch hour.

"Hey, um, I need get going," I began, but Phil just nodded, grimacing, and waved me away. He wasn't going anywhere. I couldn't help but ask, "Will I see you in science?" I could almost hear the yearning and hope in my voice.

Phil's expression softened, and he nodded at me. I smiled a tiny smile back at him briefly before turning and walking down the hall towards the rest of my fellow teenagers flooding out of the cafeteria's doors. I cast one last look behind me at Sophia and Phil before getting lost in the crowd of students. But as I was herded along, I couldn't help but feel relief. The last I had seen of them, they were pulling apart, and the sound of Sophia's angry voice carried down the hall. Maybe it was messed up I was glad Soph was yelling at him, but this way, I knew that at least Phil wasn't falling for her.

* * *

Phil's POV

I shrugged by backpack over my shoulder and slammed my locker door shut. My mood had quickly turned sour after Dan left Sophia and I in the hallway after lunch. I had hugged her, whispered comforts into her ear. But just as quickly as she had fallen into my arms, she pulled herself away.

She launched into a mainly undecipherable lecture, the few words I picked up being _Dan_ and _asshole_. Thanks for that, Soph.

Eventually she tired herself out, and marched herself down to the nurses, claiming she suffered from a migraine caused by my idiocy. I was going to be late for science, and I had no idea what Dan was thinking about Sophia's outburst. Honestly, I had no idea why Sophia threw her tantrum right then and there with Dan or even what it was about, but I was irritated and late for class and I didn't even notice the kid in the year below me in my way.

The boy's head was stuck in his phone and I was lost in my cloud of bad thoughts. The collision was unavoidable, of course, but the surety of the situation did nothing to calm my climbing anger. I barked a quick apology to the kid, who looked rather cross, and continued on my way to class.

I jogged the rest of my way to the science lab and yanked open the door. I may have been too violent, given the entire population of the class looked up, as did the teacher at the front of the room. _Great._ The room was absolutely silent as I slunk my way to my desk. I was an oncoming storm, and I think they could all tell. I tossed my backpack to the ground underneath the desk and sank into my seat. I attempted to focus my attention to the front of the room to where the teacher was droning on about something or another, but my eyes were pulled elsewhere.

I turned my head ever so slightly, and found myself caught in the brown eyed gaze of none other than Dan Howell. I felt my irritation and anger melt away beneath me, my resolve crumbling. How could someone be furious while looking at Dan Howell? Without realizing it, I had begun to smile. Dan, whose face had been occupied with concern, smiled softly back. Stunning.

My attention was jolted back to the teacher called out my name. I slowly realized she was announcing partners for an upcoming project. I prayed she would call out Dan's name to go with mine.

"-and Daniel," the teacher announced, her eyes glimmering with calculation. "Daniel Howell."

I could hardly believe my ears. I looked around frantically. Did I mishear? Did everyone else hear that? No student seemed to be paying attention to me. Quite a few girls and at least one guy had sighed when Dan's name was said to go with mine, but now I was no longer of any interest. I finally willed myself to look over at my new partner.

Dan looked like he was glowing with enthusiasm. An excited smile was stretched across his face, and he was practically overflowing with eagerness. As I smiled back at him faintly, I finally allowed a thought to come forward that was practically screaming inside my head since the science teacher had said Dan's name. _Dan was going to be my partner_. I almost giggled as I realized that science partner wasn't the only partner I hoped Dan would be of mine. Was I blushing? Oh, hell. I was blushing.

I nervously glanced over at Dan, and it looked like he was thinking the exact same thing as I was. He was flushed and grinning, with an expression I assumed mirrored my own. This definitely changed things.

 **A/N: Phew, all done! This chapter was so much fun to write! As always, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! So the other day, some random kid from the year younger than me told me point blank, and I quote, that I was "dead inside because I wear black every day". Thanks a lot, dude. But that very situation gave me a bit of inspiration for this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy!**

Phil's POV

After science, I had been on cloud nine all day. I drifted through the rest of my classes, reminiscing in the moment the science instructor called out Dan's name. It helped, however, that I didn't share many of my afternoon classes with Dan. If I had, I probably would've spontaneously combusted. Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but he just had a certain effect on me. Once I admitted this to myself, my brain was flooded with a million more thoughts, but I pushed them away, unwilling to divulge myself in the rest of thoughts. Besides, I had a mission.

As soon as the last bell of the day rung, announcing the conclusion of the school day, I was jerked back into real life. I scrambled out of my desk and rushed to the door, leaving behind me a teacher calling out homework reminders and a few oblivious kids still chatting at their tables.

I barreled down the hallway, barely stopping to throw some books in my locker and grabbing my keys. I desperately hoped I wouldn't run into Dan. I needed to find Sophia, and I certainly didn't need any distractions, especially ones as cute as Dan.

Despite how much I usually hated Sophia, she was probably my best-and my only- friend. But as I made my way through the crowded halls to the nurses, I was starting to lose faith. Sophia hadn't showed up in any of our shared classes, but if she was feeling better about her so-called "migraine" then she was probably heading home, if not there already.

I headed towards the glass door of the nurses office, ignoring the shouts, jeers, and laughter that bounced off the walls. I'll never understand why some teenagers feel the need for such rowdiness. As I entered the office, one of the two school nurses looked up from the paperwork on her desk and smiled at me. She was maybe sixty five years of age with silvery brown hair and a face that was once probably very beautiful, which showed many smile lines and crinkles of laughter. I smiled back softly, wondering what she saw when she was looking at me.

"Ah, Philip! We haven't seen you in ages! No more bullies, then?" she asked, her voice cheery and bright. This caused my smile to grow. I couldn't believe she would remember me from back when I wasn't so unknown, but was instead an eminent target.

"Not in quite a while, Nurse Leslie," I replied, beaming, before remembering my "mission" and letting a mask of worry replace my smiling expression. Letting my eyes fall to stare at the ground and my voice sound concerned, I asked, "Did Sophia Anderson head home? She mentioned something about a migraine…" I squinted at what looked like a butterscotch candy stuck to the ground underneath Leslie's desk. "She's a _very_ good friend of mine and I couldn't find her so I was wondering..?"

I knew I was laying it on a little thick, but when I glanced up, Nurse Leslie's already soft face was melted into one of adoration, but also of pity.

"Sophia already left, dear," Leslie said sympathetically. "She was going on and on about a boy named Dan, but I didn't make much sense of it, of course. She left about ten minutes ago, actually."

I tried to make a glum face, but honestly, I was secretly relieved. I truly didn't want to deal with Sophia's attitude, despite her status on my list of friends. _Not that it's a long list_ , I thought to myself as I thanked Nurse Leslie and left the office.

I was shrugging my backpack over my shoulders in a more comfortable position when someone jogged up behind me and grabbed the hood of my sweatshirt. I turned around, the slightest bit annoyed but also hopeful of who it could be, and found myself face to face with a certain new boy who just couldn't stay out of my head.

"Hi," Dan said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. I couldn't help but note that he looked adorably nervous. "You walking home?" He asked me, running a hand through his hair. I grinned, even though my insides felt like mush.

"Nah, I have a car," I replied, but immediately regretted it when I noticed his crestfallen face. An idea instantly popped up, and on my last nerve, I boldly stated I could give him a ride if he so desired.

Dan's face lit up in a way I didn't expect, brightening and nearly bursting with excitement. It was adorable, but I couldn't help but think that he really needed to work on hiding his emotions if he didn't want people to _assume things_. I refused to let myself to think what I wanted to think.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" he said, before blushing profusely as he noticed the great amount of enthusiasm in that one statement. He stared at the ground, cheeks reddening by the second. "Only if you don't mind." He added, his voice quiet. I smiled at his embarrassment.

"Okay," I said simply, then began to walk down the hall. He seemed frozen in place, like he couldn't process what I had said.

"Okay?" He asked, finally spinning around and scrambling to keep up with me. I chuckled, deciding that Dan was definitely an amusing fellow. I grinned over at the tall boy, and found him looking at me with wide eyes. Now it was my turn to blush. I quickly turned my head away, hating how pink my cheeks probably were.

We walked in silence, both of us definitely pinker than we had been not five minutes before. Our hands swung side by side, not quite brushing. This car ride was going to be agonizing.

Dan's POV

What the actual hell was I doing? Blushing like I was ten years old, getting nervous about a car ride, purposelyseeking out Phil in the first place?! I barely knew the guy!

As the somewhat rational side of my brain raged, I couldn't ignore the love-struck thoughts bouncing around my mind. I was going to be in Phil's car. In _Phil's car_! Our hand were unbelievably close to each other as we headed out of the school. It was excruciating, the way they _just almost_ brushed. I was finding it hard to resist the urge to reach out and intertwine my fingers with his. I figured he would freak out, and frankly was terrified of how awkward about it I would be, so I kept my hands to myself. But regardless of his reaction, I knew I had it bad for the black haired boy. He was somehow just so much _more_ than any other person, boy or girl, I had ever been interested in. And it was terrifying.

"And here it is! The grand carriage awaits you!" Phil announcing jokingly, shaking me out of my thoughts. I couldn't suppress my grin as Phil flourished his keys and gestured grandly to a simple black car. It was small, but it was in good condition and, I had to admit, perfect for two boys with slightly emo haircuts.

I opened the passenger door as Phil got into the drivers. The gray upholstery was just as plain as the outside, but the space above the trunk was littered with knickknacks and a tiny lion charm dangled from the mirror. This caused my smile to grow as I remembered Sophia mentioning Phil's love of lions in her outburst at Starbucks.

Phil pulled out of the parking lot after teasingly chiding me about my seatbelt. I admired Phil's lighthearted attitude as he drove, wondering how he did it while I was on the other side of the car, practically sweating bullets. I quickly muttered my address to him as we approached a street we needed to turn on and leaned back, staring out the window nervously. Jesus Christ. Why was I so anxious?

"So," Phil suddenly said, breaking the semi-awkward silence. "What's your favourite color?" I twisted in my seat and stared at him, almost incredulously.

"Of all the questions you could ask, you ask a basic first-date question like that?" I asked, attempting to be funny and immediately regretting it. Phil turned pink, but smiled nonetheless and muttered a yes softly. I began to laugh, and was intensely proud of myself when Phil's smile grew wider. After catching my breath, I gestured grandly to myself and my outfit, which consisted of black skinny jeans, a worn black _Muse_ tee shirt so faded it was almost gray, and black shoes.

"Black, if you couldn't tell," I replied, grinning. We happened to be pulling up to a stop sign, so Phil was able to glance over. His eyes swept over me, drinking me in. I was suddenly incredibly conscious of myself, but I was in love with Phil's penetrating stare. Too soon was the moment over, and his attention was averted back to the road.

"Why black?" He asked, just as I opened my mouth to ask him the very question that had been previously directed at me. I smirked.

"It represents the inner turmoil of my abysmal soul, of course." I replied, keeping my face pleasantly blank. Phil glanced over at me, clearly shocked. I grinned back, and we both burst out laughing.

We fell into friendly banter, broken up by the occasional comfortable silence. Despite how little I actually knew Phil, I felt like he could honestly be my best friend.

As he drove, I decided to give him random directions, just so I could stay with him a little longer. But as we finally grew closer to my house, I spontaneously decided that _something_ just _had_ to be done.

I suddenly reached over to the center of the small car and grabbed Phil's hand. The dark haired boy, who had been in the middle of a ridiculous story about squirrels, froze, the words dying from his lips. He glanced at me, then down at our joined hands, then back up at me again in complete surprise.

"I hope you don't mind," I said softly, smiling a small smile at him before turning my head back to face the road. He croaked something that might have been an "okay" of some sort and continued driving, his pale cheeks rosy.

The only sound in the car for the rest of the drive was Phil and I's breathing, his hitching every single time he glanced down at the center console, where our hands rested casually. Well, maybe not casually. I felt like I was on fire, and Phil was bright pink.

As he pulled up to my house, I let go of his hand to pick up my backpack. He pulled it back slowly before clutching onto the steering wheel. Tensely.

I grabbed a random sheet of paper from my bag and jotted something down. I quickly folded up the paper before pushing open the door.

"I'd like to get to know you more, Philip," I told him, leaning towards him. I shoved the paper at him before jumping out of the car and racing to my house. I refused to look back, knowing how flushed I was. What the fuck was with all my rash decisions today?

Phil's POV

Oh my god. I was in a car with Dan for at least forty five minutes and I didn't explode.

Dan held my hand. Dan _held_ my _hand_!

And finally, Dan gave me his number. On a folded up piece of paper with messy handwriting might I add.

What was going on with my life?!

 **A/N: Wow! Spontaneous Dan was not what I had planned for this chapter, but this was fun! See you all next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Phil's POV

I trudged up the steps of Sophia's house. Today had been an absolute roller coaster of a day and I certainly didn't want Sophia's bitterness to ruin the happiness I had gotten out of driving with Dan, but I needed to be a good friend. Or so I was trying to convince myself. What's the point of doing something for someone else if all it does is cause yourself misery?

I had driven all the way home from Dan's house before contemplating whether or not I should check up on Sophia. After approximately seven minutes of reflection, I restarted the car and backed out of the driveway. And suddenly I was in front of Sophia's house.

Growing up with the Andersons, that house was a second home to me. Memories of sunny afternoons splashing in their pool and rainy days spent running through the long hallways flooded my mind, but now all I could really see was a big house painted a blue too bright for my mood.

Dan's paper was burning a hole in my pocket and the last thing I wanted to do was put off talking to him, but Sophia was practically family. Sighing, I pulled out my keys and found the one that fit the big front doors. When Sophia's parents had given her keys to the house, they gave me a spare too. They said it was a necessity due to the fact I practically lived there for much of my life. In recent years, however, Sophia spent most of her time at parties or out on the town with her friends, so it didn't feel as much like home anymore.

I stared hard at the door. The key was clenched in my hand, but my feet refused to go any farther. What would even be the point? Sophia acted like she hated me most of the time. I knew she didn't actually, but it was still obnoxious. She would probably just go off on me again if I tried talking to her.

I was about to turn away and go back home when the door swung open. Sophia stood smack dab in front of me, leaning casually against the door frame. I suppose, someone, namely a heterosexual male, could describe her as radiant as she crossed her arms and smiled coldly at me.

Gone were all traces of tears, and instead in their place was a contoured face all done up in what I recognized as Sophia's date makeup: green eyes rimmed with black and a long flick towards the outer corner of her eye, sculpted eyebrows, a skin-toned matte lip color, and that shiny stuff girls put all over their cheekbones. Highlight?

She had on casual date clothes too, complete with loose silver bracelets, overly tight jeans, and a tiny black shirt seemingly made entirely of lace. I glimpsed black wedges waiting behind her, and a tan-colored jacket I recognized from one of her shopping sprees she dragged me along with a few weeks before. Her light hair fell in loose curls around her.

I began to wonder who the guy was; she didn't curl her naturally straight hair for just anybody. As much as I hated her sometimes, a surge of protectiveness shot through me. She was like a sister, after all. I shoved the key back into my pocket and tucked my hands behind me casually, rocking a bit on my heels. I stayed silent, knowing she would cave. And she eventually did.

"You here for a reason, Philip?" she asked, her voice a mix of ice and what I could've sworn was flirtatiousness. _There's no way,_ I told myself. _She probably knows you're not straight. She knows she's like a sister,_ I kept trying to think, but memories upon memories were popping up.

Climbing the tallest tree in the park when we were eight, and Sophia grabbing onto my hand and refusing to let go, even when we got to the ground. Sophia inviting me to her birthday party in fifth grade and not inviting anyone else. Sophia dancing with me at prom when no one was watching because she "thought I looked lonely and pitied me". Sophia coming to me before anyone else for advice. Sophia always having a picture with me as her background. Sophia crying when we were nine because I held hands with another girl in gym class. Sophia constantly stealing my jumpers and hoodies. Sophia falling asleep on me on nights when I would watch anime or play video games while she texted. Sophia constantly bombarding me with questions about my love life. Sophia throwing a tantrum back when I started crushing on a guy named Mathias. Sophia getting jealous of boys talking to me. Sophia getting jealous when _Dan_ talked to me.

Oh. _Oh. OH. Oh no._

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. Sophia was staring at me expectantly.

"Just wanted to make sure everything was okay," I managed to croak. I was suddenly feeling awkward and nauseous, and all I wanted to do was go home. "You know, from earlier?" I felt like I was going to throw up. I shoved my suddenly sweaty hands in my pockets.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Yes, Phil. I'm _fine_." Then, on second thought, she added with a smirk, "I'm going out, actually. So I'm fine." She paused, adjusting her jacket. Her green eyes bored into my skull. Her eyes were too wide, makeup too dark. Her hair twisted with a slight breeze.

When she didn't say anything else, it dawned on me she was waiting for me to say something. Probably to ask who she was going out with.

"Um, with who?" I rasped, licking my unexpectedly dry lips. Her gaze flicked down to my lips, and I felt sick. I was never going to be able to look at her the same way ever again.

"Oh, you know," she said breezily, waving her hand up. "You know him. Daniel?"

I froze. _What_? I stared at her incredulously. "What?!" I asked, my voice surprisingly loud. Sophia's eyebrows raised in surprise, and her smile faded away. She began twisting a strand of hair in her hand.

"Well, he felt bad, you know? We got in an argument earlier. Just a little lover's spat, of course." At this, she laughed a little. It sounded villainous. "But he still felt bad, obviously. It's kind of a, 'forgive me?' date, you know?"

My heart ached when she said this. "I didn't know you guys were going out." I said, my voice shaking. "How long?" I asked. She laughed, loud and phony.

"Since that party," she replied, her voice smug and cruel.

"Oh." I quietly said, my voice small and sad. "Well, have fun." I said, not even attempting to sound cheery. I spun and fled, hurrying off the porch to my car. I slammed the car door shut behind me, and started the car up. I sped down the driveway, tires squealing.

Really, it was illogical to think that Sophia and Dan would actually date, considering how Dan had treated me. He had shown no actual interest in Sophia. But in that moment, all I could think was how stupid I had been. How foolish, how dumb. Maybe Dan just treated everyone like that, and it was pointless for me to feel special over it.

After all, Dan was an attractive guy. The popular kids liked him. He had the looks and the humor and the personality. Anyone would want him, so he could literally have anyone. So, of course, he was just teasing me.

For some reason, tears were building up in my eyes. I wiped them away. I had thought that maybe, _maybe_ , Dan had felt something real for me. Something real, like I had for him. It had all been a joke.

I had pulled out of Sophia's driveway, and I was just driving along an empty road. The big expensive houses were spaced out, and all I could see were manicured lawns with grass too bright of green, and gray skies threatening to spill. I longed to be back in town, where the houses were smaller and more affordable, and people wouldn't stop and question why a teenage boy was pulled over on the side of the road.

The streets were empty for the time being, though, and I swerved to the curb. I quickly rolled down my window before pulling out the paper Dan had given me. I stared at the messy collection of numbers written in Dan's muddled handwriting, before ripping the paper into small pieces and tossing it out the window. I knew I would regret it later, but my misery at that moment overtook anything else I could think.

I rolled up the window and began to drive away, the papers fluttering in the wind. In my rear view mirror, I saw them flap a bit before they were flattened against the ground. It had started raining without me noticing; how nice it was that the weather matched my mood perfectly.

 **A/N: So that was so much sadder and angst-filled than originally planned…sorry? It'll get better next time, promise!**


	7. Chapter 7

Dan's POV

I ran up the pavement, never once looking back at Phil. I didn't even want to consider thinking about how red I was. Why did I blush so much? I finally arrived at the porch and clambered up the steps. I shut the door behind me breathlessly. I dropped my bag and slid to the ground, still using the door as support. My heartbeat was all I could hear, thrumming quickly and filling my ears.

" _What the fuck_?" I asked myself, muttering under my breath. What was wrong with me, running from Phil's car like that?

"Dan?" my mum called out from the kitchen. "Daniel? How was school?" I somehow heard her over the din of my lovesick heart and stood, brushing myself off. I wandered through the hall and into the small kitchen, where my mother was frosting a cake.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked incredulously as I hurried up to her. She was covered in flour and had smears of frosting on her cheeks from where she had probably brushed her hair out of her face. My mum _does not_ bake.

"Dan!" she exclaimed, and lightheartedly smacked the back of my head. I grinned, and gave her a quick, one-armed hug.

"Sorry, Mum. Please do excuse my dreadfully foul language," I replied jokingly. She glanced up from the cake and grinned back. "But what are you actually doing?" I asked, staring curiously at the cake. She set down the piping bag of frosting and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Every new student deserves a cake!" she announced. I raised an eyebrow at her slightly, and examined the cake. Judging by the pans near the sink, it was a chocolate cake. An uneven layer of white coated the cake, and blobs of grayish-black frosting that resembled flowers decorated the top. The piping my mother had been working on read, in the same splotchy gray frosting, GOOD DAY.

"Uh, Mum, what does this even mean?" I asked skeptically. She shook her head and ruffled my hair, though I was probably more than half a foot taller than her.

"Obviously, Daniel, it means that today was a first day, and therefore a good day!" she responded, admiring her handiwork. "I think it looks quite good!"

I smiled, shaking my head, as I walked back out of the kitchen. "Sure, Mother." I called behind me. I stopped by the door and picked up my discarded backpack, before stopping again to sift through the mail on a table by the door.

"Who was in that car dropping you off just now?" My mother asked, voice raised slightly so I could hear her. I surprised a smile as I pulled out a letter addressed to me.

"A boy named Phil," I responded loudly, ripping open the white envelope. Thick black writing neatly listed our new address in blocky letters on the outside. I pulled out the folded paper and examined it. Simple white paper, the recycled kind. I didn't unfold it. "I met him at that party on Friday."

"Make any other friends, then?" She called out in reply. I was glad she couldn't see me, knowing I had turned red. I walked down the hall past the kitchen and up the stairs to my room, still holding the envelope and unread letter.

"Yep, a few," I said, loud and clear. "I fell in love, too." Then I hurried up the stairs. It took a moment for what I said to register with my mum.

"What?" she screeched up the stairs. I grinned as I entered my room.

"I'll see you at dinner, Mum!" I called back, and shut my door. For the second time that day, I collapsed against a door. I could still hear my mother clanking about in the kitchen, but my thoughts were flooded by ones of Phil, and everything faded to the background.

All I could see was the beautiful shade of blue of his eyes, and how flustered he had got when I had grabbed his hand. The slightly more pessimistic side of my mind said that he had only blushed because he had been uncomfortable. It was a long shot, really, to assume that Phil was interested in guys, much less _me_ , but for some reason I just had a feeling.

There was the issue of Sophia to consider, but really, I didn't care. It was obvious. Phil liked me.

That very thought caused my cheeks to flame up again, and I buried my head in my hands, letter falling to the ground. I was just so weirdly _happy._ I pulled my phone out, but there were no texts from Phil. I shouldn't have been surprised, given I had pegged Phil as the responsible type and wouldn't text while driving.

I finally stood, picking up the letter and my bag. I walked towards my bed and flopped down on my back, backpack once again on the floor. I looked again at the sender on the envelope and felt a grin stretch across my face. It was from Mathias, a boy who had moved to my old school two years before and I had become instantly close friends with. I unfolded the paper.

 _Dearest Dannyboy,_

 _How's life in the big city? Run into any cute guys for me? Or girls, for that matter. Beggars can't be choosers. Any cute humans? What about for yourself? Eh, eh? Probably not. Which school are you going to? You never mentioned what it was called. An old flame of mine moved to London too, you guys might know each other now. Maybe you guys could hook up. He's hot. Funny, too._

I paused, grinning slightly. Only Mathias would use words like "flame" in reference to a former crush, and only he would try to set me up with them. I continued reading.

 _Life sucks here, as usual. Well, I guess you would know that. You're sleeping on my bedroom floor as I write this. You probably won't get this for a few days, though, so it's fine. I'll be sending it out in a few days, so it's all chill._

 _Remember that guy I mentioned earlier? You should really consider it. You might already know him so I won't tell you who it is, but once you tell me the school, shit could happen. You're already going to be a lonely old cat boy, so you could use company. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure he's allergic to cats. But hit me up once you get this._

 _You're probably wondering why I'm writing this letter to you. It's not fucking medieval times. But I like letters so shut the hell up with your judging and deal._

 _You better buy me a mighty impressive London souvenir. A little telephone box or something, I don't care. Some expensive London thing, I don't know, a fucking flag for all I care. But something to make me feel all special and not lonely. School is going to be hell._

 _Don't make out with any hot Londoners without consent, and at least tell me when you do so I can feel proud. Hope you get lost._

 _-Mathias, your favorite letter-writing friend._

By the time I finished the letter, a huge smile was spread across my face. I pulled out my phone and selected Mathias from the list of recent contacts.

 **Dan: who's the "old flame?"**

Not more than three seconds later, he replied.

 **Mathias: aye danny**

 **Mathias: you got my letter then?**

 **Mathias: a fucking hot boy that's who**

 **Dan: does he have a name?**

 **Mathias: ah nooo can't tell you**

I rolled my eyes. Like, actually rolled my eyes at the screen. I stared down at the bright screen, knowing that if I didn't say anything, he would call me. Sure enough, a minute hadn't even gone by and his contact photo appeared. I shook my head but answered the call.

"Okay so I was going to wait to tell you his name but to be honest I don't even know what school he goes to because he could have moved after the time I was there and I don't know but his name is Phil, okay? And I liked him for _years_ and then he _finally_ noticed me but he didn't know I liked him too and his bitchy best friend liked him too and then I moved so it never actually went anymore and –ow holy _fuck_ there's a chair there- and he has these fucking _gorgeous_ eyes and black hair and was so damn _tall_ and was just so perfect!" Mathias said quickly, voice crackling over the distance. I sat in my bed, speechless. He took a deep breath before continuing on. "And his best friend-her name was Sophie or something-hated me because she knew I liked him and he liked me but he didn't realize she was in love with him and it was all such a fucking mess and then I moved here and met you and here we are!" he finally finished.

I swallowed, confusion running rampant in my mind. "Sophia." I managed to squeak out. "Her name is Sophia." Mathias gasped, loud and overdramatic (as usual).

"Yeah, that's it! Sophia!" he said, but I was no longer interested in having a conversation.

"You ramble a lot more than I remember," I told him, gathering all my emotions into a tight bundle and faking a casual tone.

"Oh, shut up, Daniel." Mathias grumbled, before I heard a click and the line went dead. I was used to him just hanging up on me like that, so I tossed the phone aside and stared at my ceiling. Mathias rarely gave details on the love life he had had before he met me, so this was all very new to me. Not to mention, it was Phil. _Phil!_ I squeezed my eyes shut. I had just gotten home and I already knew it was going to be a very long night.

 _The next day, science class._

The day had passed horridly slow. I had looked for Phil both in the morning and at lunch, not to mention at passing time, but he seemed to be nowhere to be found. At least I knew he would be in science, if he was at school.

During lunch, as I craned my neck around every way I could, Sophia slammed her hand down on the table, much like she had the previous day, and glared down at me. Instead of yelling at me, though, she sat down next to me and spoke in a cold, clear voice, quiet and devoid of the vibrant emotions I had experienced the day before.

"Dan. I don't fucking _care_ how you feel about Phil, but let me make something clear. You and I? We're not friends. We never will be, not even when Phil and I get married after graduation and he invites you out of pity. But we are going to keep up the idea that we're dating, because my reputation is on the line just because I was the only one who realized you've been making eyes at Lester and got angry about it. Got it?" She asked commandingly. I gulped. This girl was honestly insane. Completely mental.

"What's the point?" I quietly asked. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Of us, you know, 'dating' and all."

"I'm gorgeous, you're gorgeous, and you're okay when you have nothing to do with Phil. So if you don't agree I will make your life an _actual living hell_. Deal?" she practically hissed, shoving her hand in my face. I reluctantly shook it.

"Deal."

Fast forward to science, and I was deeply regretting my choice. So what if she ruined my life? There was no way this was going to help me win over Phil. I stared blankly in the direction of the door, tapping my fingers against the desk.

A tall silhouette appeared in the door, and I shook myself out of my stupor. Phil stood awkwardly in the doorway with black jeans and a blue Nyan Cat tee shirt on, straight black hair slightly disheveled. I felt a smile spread across my face when he glanced at me, but he just grimaced and ducked his head down. My happiness began to ebb away.

He slid into the seat without a word and began taking a few different supplies out of his backpack. Unable to help myself, I watched with interest. He looked good in blue. Well, I thought he always looked good, but whatever.

He was still avoiding eye contact with me though. I tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"You never texted me." I said softly, my voice questioning. He looked at me then, _really_ looked at me, and I was overwhelmed with all the emotions that replaced his typically chipper expression. Never had I expected him to look so sad. I didn't even know he was capable of looking so sad. It splintered my heart.

"How was your date with Sophia?" he asked, heart wrenchingly soft. I blinked. Date? With Sophia? What date?

 **A/N: Oh dear oh dear. Whatever will Dan say? I think I promised things would get better, but umm… I guess it depends on your definition of better! I do believe I mentioned Mathias in the previous chapter (when Phil realized Sophia was in love with him), so it was exciting to introduce him here. Also, I was rereading and in one of the first chapters, I said Phil's car was silver, but then later said it was black. To clear up any possible confusion: it is black. That's all for now, friends! See you all next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: AYE I'M BACK! So! I was thinking about this fic the other day, and I thought to myself, "I can't wait for what's going to happen next!" And then I realized that I'm the one writing the story. So here I am, back at it again with the eighth chapter of New Boy!**

Phil's POV

I wondered how miserable I looked. I also wondered how normal it was for teenage boys to feel so sad over their crush going on a date with someone else. Not very, probably. Dan looked ridiculously confused. I would've laughed if I wasn't so sad. All he was doing was blinking, voice seemingly gone.

"What date?" he managed to get out finally. I stared at him, eyes narrowing.

"What date?" I repeated. "Your date. With Sophia. Last night. As an apology dinner." I didn't know why I was talking so choppily, but it seemed to get the point across to Dan. An annoyed expression crossed his face, beautiful smile gone.

" _Of fucking course_. Of course!" he muttered heatedly, no longer looking at me. He pulled out his phone, an iPhone, and opened up his messaging app. He glanced up at me. "What did you say she said it was?" he asked.

I brushed some irritating hair out of my eyes then said, "She said that you were taking her out on a date as an apology over a little argument you guys had. She called it a 'lover's spat', since you guys, you know, have been dating apparently since that party, back on the 19th. She was wearing her special date makeup and everything." He nodded, looking even angrier than before, and focused back down at his phone, typing furiously. I hated how small and sad I sounded. I sat up straighter in my seat and considered digging around in my bag for my phone, but decided against it. Who would I even text?

Meanwhile, Dan had finished texting, and shoved his phone in his pocket.

Dan let out an exasperated sigh before leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. This was definitely not how I imagined his response. I stayed silent.

He finally lifted his head and turned, looking at me with an expression full of mixed emotions. I waited. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and leaned back into his seat.

"No date, Phil. There was no date. We're not even _together_." Dan said. He sounded remorseful and apologetic, but I didn't even care anymore. I felt like the balloon inside of me holding all my worries and insecurities about Dan had popped. Or, at least, shrunk considerably in size. I felt ridiculously relieved. I gave Dan a toothy smile.

"That's the greatest thing I've heard all day!" I told him brightly. The tips of his ears turned pink.

"Oh really?" He asked faintly. "Why is that?"

My smile grew, and bravely said, "Because I'd reckon I'd still have chance. With you, obviously. Not Sophia. Ew. Gross. I basically grew up with her. That'd practically be incest." The pink of Dan's ears had spread quickly to his cheeks, and he looked adorable, but he then burst out laughing as I finished my sentence.

"You, Phil Lester, are something else." He said after his laughter finally died down. "You're hilarious."

I smiled even bigger than I previously thought possible. When Dan laughed, his whole face lit up. He looked positively amazing. It was that moment that I decided that I would make it my life goal to always be the one to make Dan laugh like that, big and happy and loud. I wanted to be his best friend.

"Likewise," I replied cheerily, and began sorting out some of the papers on our shared desk. I turned back to him, and said, overly excited, "So! Science!"

 _After school_

Dan's POV

I wondered how obvious I was being about the fact that I was completely smitten by Phil Lester. I also wondered how normal it was for teenage boys to feel so happy about their crush offering _yet another_ ride home. Very, probably. When I slid into the seat next to Phil, his face lit up with a smile so bright I could've forgotten my own name. He's just so ridiculously _there_. He's solid and he's happy and he's bright and so unbelievably unexplainably _there_.

"You know, Phil, you are a complete nerd." I told him as he drove out of the school parking lot. He laughed a little.  
"What's the difference between a complete nerd and a non-complete nerd?" he asked, grinning. I smiled back.

"I have no fucking clue. Maybe everyone else is just part nerd, while you managed to suck all of the excess nerd-juice into your pasty body and project it to the world as the complete, pure _nerd_." I said, waving my hands around dramatically.

"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly, but a smile played across his lips. "Pasty body? Rude."

I laughed. "Am I wrong?"

"Dan!"

"You know, nerd-juice sounds horrible." I remarked, out of the blue.

"Anything combined with the word juice sounds horrible." Came his automatic response. I smiled, loving the casual banter. I remembered something, though, and my smile faded slightly. Phil glanced over to me, probably just to see what my sudden silence was about, and his smile dimmed too. A light tension filled the space between us, like invisible smoke.

"Were you ever friends with a boy named Mathias?" I asked. I cast a sidelong glance at Phil, I watched as he tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the road ahead. I held my breath. A sudden realization seemed to occur, and an expression of remembrance broke out across his face, along with a light smile.

"I don't think _friends_ would be the right word, but yeah, I knew a Mathias," Phil said lightly as he looked over at me. I found myself smiling back, despite how serious I was trying to be about the topic at hand. The vague unease that had previously filled the car had long since faded, and the air was comfortable and warm.

"He really liked you, you know." I told him, my voice strangely and uncharacteristically soft. Phil pressed together his lips in a half-grimace, half-smile.

"I doubt he liked me in the way I liked him." he said. He was wearing a casual expression as though it was a mask, and most would've believed it. His tone, however, said otherwise; it was full of remorse and regret, and a soft loneliness that broke my heart.

I stared at Phil from my seat. His smile had disappeared completely. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." His face froze in shock, before looking over at me with wide eyes.

" _What?_!"

I contained a smile, glad to see some sort of emotion make its way back into his voice. "You heard me." I smirked.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "How do you even now about Mathias?" his eyes were like those of a doe, big and round. My smirk developed into a grin.

"Mathias moved to my old town a few years ago. We were pretty good friends. Still are, I'd hope. He mentioned a boy he used to like lives here and wanted to set him up with me." I explained, slightly anxious to see if Phil connected the dots. He didn't. I sighed, then said, "The boy's name was Phil. And he has a best friend named Sophia. And black hair and is really damn tall and has gorgeous blue eyes. Sound familiar?"

Bright scarlet spread across Phil's cheeks. Never had he been so red. I smiled, but it fell away when I saw Phil look at me with a worried expression and sad eyes, blush fading. I began to say something, but snapped my mouth shut when he began to talk.

"Look, Dan…" he began. His voice was so dejected, so quiet. I wanted to hold his hand again. Well, actually, I wanted to do more than just _that_ , but he was driving and didn't need that right now. I kept my hands to myself. "I really like you. A lot. But I think, um," he paused, before glancing over at me, scared. I smiled softly, and nodded encouragingly, despite feeling like my heart was breaking. "I really just need a friend right now. Is that okay?"

I really smiled then. "Sure." I said.

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Why would I even refuse?" I asked, almost incredulously, shaking my head. He laughed a little.

"I don't know!" he replied, voice cheery again as he shrugged, throwing his hands up temporarily. My smile felt like it was going to split my face.

"But I won't just be your friend. I think I'll be your _best_ friend." I said. Phil glanced at me, grinning with shining eyes that glinted with curiosity, and I rushed out my next words. "Because I like you and I've never had a best friend and I think you need one who treats you how a best friend should treat you." I bit my lip, suddenly overcome by anxiety, but it faded as Phil smiled over at me

"Okay." He said softly.

"Okay." Came my quiet reply. _Wow, way to go, Daniel_ , I scolded myself sarcastically. _Taking inspiration from The Fault in Our Stars now?_ A comfortable silence fell over the car as I yelled at myself in my head. Well, at least, before Phil spoke up again.

"Wait. What were you saying about nerd-juice again?"

 **A/N: And that's a wrap! HAPPY LATE HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY! I actually started writing this chapter before Halloween, and had originally planned on writing a Halloween chapter for this fic along with a cute Halloween oneshot idea I had, but due to my procrastination issues I did not get around to** _ **either**_ **. I will still, of course, write a Halloween chapter for New Boy because, after all, it** _ **is**_ **set in October, but it'll just be late. And yes, I do know how cheesy this is and how much excessive blushing there is, but I like writing fluff lots more than angst or anything else. I have a thing for blushing boys, I guess. That sounds weird. Okie dokie, I should definitely just leave now. Long Author's Note has now finshed; see you next time lovelies!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello, all you beautiful people out there*jacksepticeye flashbacks* and welcome back to New Boy! I apologize for how late this chapter is; I just haven't felt much motivation to write lately. I've mainly been binge-watching anime though, so maybe there's a reason behind why I haven't found time to write. But here is Chapter 9! I (obviously) don't own the song nor the band featured in this chapter.**

Dan's POV

Practically the entire female population in my year seemed to have some strange obsession with me, and I had no idea what to do about it. When I woke up the next morning to my blaring alarm clock, I was filled with strange apprehension for the day, especially for facing all the different girls who seemed to take great pleasure at making eyes at me. I kicked off my bedsheets and sat straight up. Dread was seeping through my pores and I was drowning in unease, and I wanted nothing more to yank my duvet back up over my head and sleep away the day. My clock was continuing to scream, however, so I reached to the table and hit the snooze button, all the while wondering what even the purpose of getting up was.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and pushed myself up. Stretching, I went over the pros and cons of pretending to be sick and skipping school. If I stayed home, I'd not only avoid Sophia but also the huge group of girls I knew had made me their newest object of desire. However, I wouldn't get to see Phil, and considering how good of a note we left off on the previous day, I didn't want to wait until the next day to see him.

I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and padded to my door. I pulled the bedroom door open and was greeted by more darkness, just as my phone finally finished turning on and illuminating everything in a vibrant glow. I glanced down, pausing in the hallway before stepping down onto the steps, and my eyes widened. Staring back at me was the notification of four distinctly different texts from the night before.

 _ **11:33 p.m.; Mathias**_ **: ayyy remember derek? that blond footballer that everyone thought was straighter than all hell? he made out with me like an hour ago at my party and i don't know what to do with this information helpppp**

 _ **12:48 a.m.; Mathias**_ **: okay he confessed his 3-year long crush on me and we went at it again but now he passed out next to me on my living room couch and he asked me out i think we're datingg now what do i do?1?!1!?**

 _ **1:30 a.m.; Unknown Number**_ **: Hi dan, you don't know me but I'm olivia. I'm friends with Sophia and she gave you my number and I just wanted to say hey ;)**

 _ **2:11 a.m.; Soph:**_ **To make this dating deal believable, you have to be big on the PDA. If I get anything less than a makeout session in a closet that one of us drags the other to during lunch I will ruin you. And change your contact for me to "Babe" or some shit for me so no one gets suspicious.**

Frowning, I deleted the message from the Olivia girl and ignored what Sophia messaged me. I quickly shot off a reply to Mathias teasing him about how he was making out with a new person at a party every week and was about to shut off my phone again and head downstairs when I noticed a new message received only a few minutes prior from an unknown number.

 _ **6:08 a.m.; Unknown Number**_ **: Hello! Is this Dan? This is Phil!**

I grinned. Before hopping out of his car the previous afternoon, he promised he'd text me. Apparently he was true to his promise, albeit it was a bit later than I had hoped. I quickly responded.

 _ **6:10 a.m.; Dan**_ **: this is indeed dan. hi**

Just a few seconds passed before he replied.

 _ **Phil**_ **: Hey! You want a ride?**

I continued smiling, loving this new development in our friendship.

 _ **Dan**_ **: um yes please**

 _ **Phil**_ **: Great! I'll be there in about an hour and a quarter?**

 _ **Dan**_ **: See you then**

I stared at our conversation for a few more moments, a stupid grin plastered across my face, before tucking my phone into the waistband of my pajama pants and plodding down the stairs. My mood had improved slightly because of Phil, but I still had to go to school and face the hordes of infatuated teenage creatures.

That's the confusing thing about being a new kid. First, there's the whispers of a new boy, rumors of where he's from and who he knows. There's gossip of if he plays sports and how he dresses. The conversations of if he's attractive or not spark up, and who has dibs if he is. Then he actually moves there, and everyone flips out because he's cute. Everyone tries to talk to him, to find out what kind of person he is. Rumors spread like wildfire about who he's dating and who he's friends with. Usually it fades down after a bit, but it's still horrible because when you're new, all you want to do is make sure you don't get lost and go into the wrong classroom. The meager, temporary crushes the shallow popular kids develop for you do not help. They just make everything more confusing, especially if you don't know if they like you for you or if they like you just because you're attractive fresh meat.

I wandered into the kitchen and flicked on the lights. My mum always left extra early for work, and never left the lights on. My father was probably still sleeping. I pattered around, gathering together different cereals, milk, and the works. I ate my breakfast quickly, and was tucking my dishes into the dishwasher when my dad shuffled in, yawning and still in his pajamas just as I was.

"Hey, Danny," he managed to get out between two yawns. I rolled my eyes at the horrible nickname but smiled faintly.

"Morning, Dad. Long day at work yesterday?" Sometimes he worked late into the night, and I didn't see him until the next morning.

"Sadly," he said as he wandered into the kitchen, mussing up my hair as he passed me by. No matter how much taller I was than either parent, I still seemed to be in the stage of having my hair toyed with by adults. I laughed a little anyways.

"My friend Phil is picking me up this morning," I informed my dad as he began to make coffee. I smiled down at my feet, realizing what I had said. _Friend_.

"You've got friends? That's great, Danny," he said. He turned and smiled at me. "Have a good day today."

I smiled back. "You too, Dad." He went back to his coffee, and I turned to go back to my room. My father always managed to hold a light conversation in the morning, just before coffee, and he never ceased to amaze me as to how. He was always tired and lacking of caffeine, but he could almost be a morning person. If he wasn't so sleepy, that is.

I took a quick shower, hating the way my fringe curled. I'd have to straighten it later. Once I was back in my bedroom, I began to dig around my dresser for clothes. It took ages and I eventually just pulled on dark gray jeans and a white pullover with a little gray alien head. I then began the agonizing process of straightening my hair and didn't finish until about ten minutes before Phil said he would pick me up. It was already getting light out.

I yanked on my shoes and grabbed my backpack, just before I realized I had my phone but not my earbuds. In mass panic, I scrambled around my room, searching what felt like fruitlessly, until I found them tangled on my nightstand. I was beginning to blame Phil for disrupting my schedule and causing me to become so frazzled. I heard a car horn from outside my house.

I flew down the steps, hardly having time to shout goodbye to my father, and burst out the door. I jogged down the front path. Phil was sitting in his slightly dinged up car, listening to a familiar band and tapping his fingers along with the song on his steering wheel and staring out the open driver's window at the house across the street. _My Chemical Romance_. I was liking him even more. I quickly yanked open the door and plopped down in the seat, breathless. Phil stared at me in surprise before leaning forward and turning the music down.

"I have the slightest feeling you need to exercise more if a bit of jogging makes you _that_ exhausted," he told me. A smirk played across his lips. I rolled my eyes but grinned.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Acting-Like-You-Can-Do-Better," I replied sarcastically. He laughed, and I joined in laughing too after a moment of hesitation. I didn't understand how, but I felt so comfortable around Phil. I wondered if he felt the same.  
"You know," he began as he pulled away from the curb and into the street, "I was surprised you even accepted a ride this morning." I raised my brows.

"Why is that?"

He cast a glance at me, almost incredulous. "Um, because I'm _Phil_?"

My eyes narrowed. "And I'm Dan?"

"Exactly!"

I stared at him in bewilderment. "I'm so confused."

He sighed. "Okay. I'm Phil Lester, the awkward nerdy kid who everyone used to know as the geek but now no one really knows at all. Even though I'm friends with Sophia." He grimaced and glanced at me. "Got everything so far?"

I nodded. I felt like I knew where he was going with this.

"And then _you_ are Dan Howell. As you already know." he continued. "You're the cute new boy, the guy who everyone wants to be friend with. You're popular and you've hardly been here a week. Everyone's convinced you're with Sophia, and everyone wants to be her just to be with you. Why would a guy who's 'all that' want to hang out with a bottom feeder like me?" He asked, taking his hands off the wheel to make air quotes with his fingers. My face went red.

"You think I'm cute?" I asked, bordering on flirtatious. Then he was pink, too.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed, but a grin was making its way onto his serious face. "Just answer the question."

I smiled lightly. "They're all insecure and shallow, and in reality I hate other people. Like, ew, social interaction." I shuddered, just to make my point. Phil looked like he was holding his breath, but a laugh escaped out. My smiled widened. "They're not my people. But _you_! Maybe _you_ are." The blush meter of his cheeks went up by at least ten when I said that. I felt like my face was going to crack with all this smiling.

"Besides," I said, grinning as I leaned forward to turn up the music. Gerard Way's voice filled the car. "You have better taste in music."

 _..._

Neither Dan nor Phil's POV

"Mummy?" the little girl asked from her perch on a toddler's car seat behind her driving mother. "Why are those two boys doing that?"

Her mother's eyes flickered to the back seat. "What are you talking about, love?"

Her daughter pointed out the window to the small black car next to them. "Them! What are they doing?"

The mother glanced out the window. There were indeed two boys, one with brown hair and the one driving with a matching haircut in black. They were singing noisily and off-key to a loud song. She could hear strains of it, along with their singing, through the car.

 _"Would you bury me?"_ One boy dramatically sang. The other responded with, _"Would you carry me?"_ before them both, attempting to harmonize, sang out, " _To the endddd?"_

She smiled as they both started laughing hysterically. "They're singing, dear. For the sake of enjoyment."

Her toddler looked back and forth from her mum to the boys and asked in confusion, "Why is the one with the brown hair looking at the driving one like that?"

She looked over again. Sure enough, the one with the brown hair was staring at the one with black. Even through the car windows, the fondness was clear on his face. The air between them was probably thick with affection. Nothing existed to them outside of their little bubble. The woman's smile grew. The boys reminded the woman of her teenage years with her best friend.

She had looked at her best friend like that too, like she was the whole universe. Like she loved her more than anything. They, too, had sang along to songs on the radio in the wrong pitches, laughing until it felt like their stomachs would burst right there in the car. Maybe the two boys were just platonic, but no one could deny how much that boy seemed to love the other.

"They're best friends, honey."

"He's looking at him with love eyes, Mummy," her daughter told her in a confident voice. She smiled through the mirror at the little girl.

"Yes, love, he is."

The toddler paused, creasing her little eyebrows in confusion, before popping up again. "You look at Mama the same way!"

The woman laughed. "You're right, dear, I probably still do."

"You guys were best friends too!" the toddler exclaimed, excitement growing.

"We were, back when we were teenagers like those boys."

Her daughter gasped. "Wouldn't it be great if they got married too? I hope they get married! And have a baby like you and Mama! And live happily ever after!"

The woman laughed a little. "Me too, love. Me too."

 **A/N: Alrighty peeps I know that was literally** _ **just**_ **about a morning and nothing else, but I wanted to write some cute stuff and didn't feel like squashing all that into a chapter about school. I don't even know what that ending is. I just really like that song. Hope you all enjoyed!**


	10. Chapter 10

**10 chapters holy cow**

Phil's POV

"This is the most fun I've ever had," Dan said breathlessly as he opened the car door and stumbled out, still laughing. It _had_ been fun; all the off-key singing and uproarious laughing made me realize that though I didn't have that many close friends and certainly not a best friend, Dan made me feel as though I did. I beamed.

"I'm quoting you on that," I replied, also laughing. "Though I doubt that'll remain true if you stick around me." I shouldered my backpack, locking the car, and began to walk towards the school. Dan did as well, following me with a quizzical look and a grin.

"Meaning what?"

I smirked. "Meaning I'm a 'pretty cool dude', so you'll always have the 'most fun' around me," I said, air quoting with my fingers as my voice took on a sarcastic lilt. Dan burst out laughing.

"Shut the hell up," Dan responded with a roll of his eyes, and yet he was grinning just as wide as I was. "You're such a dork."

I hoped to all things holy I wouldn't blush. Technically speaking, being called a dork shouldn't be the greatest thing that has graced my ears since the entirety of _A Fever You Can't Sweat Out_ by Panic! At the Disco **(wow what a great album recommendation..)** , but it was all in the affectionate tone.

I cast a sideways glance at him. Dan was casually strolling alongside me, his pace matching mine step for step. Subconsciously, of course. Of course?

Dan's eyes flickered over, catching my gaze. I jerked my eyes away sharply. _Real smooth, Lester_ , I thought to myself. _Real smooth_.

Instead of making a huge awkward deal out of it, though, Dan just smiled.

"Sophia's in love with you," he suddenly said brightly, voice oddly energetic. I blinked for a moment, processing what he had said, then sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Is it really that obvious?" I asked, fixing my fringe even though it had been perfectly fine beforehand. I was fidgeting, and we both knew it. I think.

"You _know_?!" Dan sputtered. I couldn't contain a laugh as his voice raised an octave into almost a screech.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Figured it out the other day." I said.

"Only the other day?!" he asked incredulously, slipping from surprise into disbelief as we approached the school.

"How was I supposed to know?" I asked with faux anguish in response. By then we were both laughing. I could tell it would be a good day.

…

Classes passed in a manner in which could be classified as uneventful to the majority of my fellow classmates. Nothing in particular happened to me specifically to make my morning extraordinary, if you didn't count Dan and I's new closeness.

I had not realized I lonely I probably had been before until Dan was making faces at me from across the classroom, texting me puns and sarcastic comments on the teachers, passing silly drawings on sticky notes, filling up my morning in a spectacular way I really hadn't known was possible. My classes were suddenly more bearable and maybe even enjoyable once Dan officially became my friend. I wondered if it was too soon for him to be considered as my best friend.

Soon, lunch break had rolled around. My final class before had been with Dan, but we had gotten separated in the ocean of teenagers hungry for both food and the daily gossip. I had seen a head of abnormally pale blonde hair near him as we were pulled away. Sophia. No surprise there.

I made my way through the cafeteria to my usual spot after stopping at my locker. As usual, I had brought lunch from home, so there was no need to get in line for any of the sludge that the school offered.

I glanced around the lunchroom briefly, but Dan didn't appear to be anywhere in my line of sight. Sophia and her entourage were at their typical table with the addition of a few guys different from the day before, but no Dan. I had a hunch the guys were on some sort of rotation so they all had an opportunity to bask in Sophia's glory. Blech.

I sighed quietly, and focused back on my lunch. I was about to take a bite from my sandwich (yes, a sandwich _again_ ) when a tray slammed down at my empty table. I jumped in surprise.

"Um? Hi?" I began nervously as I looked up at the intruder and owner of the tray. I was immediately relived, however, when I found Dan sanding at the edge of the table. He looked slightly miffed, and the relief began to dim.

Despite his dire expression, I smiled as he plopped down in a seat across from me. "Hello to you too!" I said cheerfully. Dan grimaced, though he seemed to be cooling down from whatever it was that caused his displeasure and actually attempted to give me some sort of half smile.

"Sophia is going to be pissed," I remarked casually as I examined my sandwich. I risked glancing up at Dan, who was staring glumly at his mashed potatoes. He looked up and groaned.

"Wanted me to sit with her again, though I think we made our feelings clear," he explained quickly. "And I think the guys have some sort of schedule as to who gets to sit where." I nodded in agreement.

"So that's why you're so grumpy?" I asked with a slight smirk.

His jaw fell. "I am not _grumpy_!" He exclaimed indignantly. I began to laugh. Dan huffed, but joined in after a moment of hesitation. His voice did this adorable thing where it rose to a high pitch when he was mildly offended.

We carried on with casual banter and jokes throughout the break, all the while ignoring Sophia's bloodcurdling glares from across the tables. Not to mention all the quizzical and judgmental stares Dan was getting. Why would the cute, popular new kid sit with that emo outcast? Somehow Dan ignored them all, and his smile made me forget everyone around us.

God. Becoming friends with Dan had made me and my thoughts ridiculously and horrendously cliché.

"What are you doing for Halloween?" Dan asked me out of the blue. I looked up from the last bite of my sandwich. Dan was staring at me expectantly, fork halfway to his mouth.

"I don't have anything in the works," I said, hoping it would be what Dan wanted to hear instead of sounding completely and utterly lame. "Sophia always has a big haunted bash thing, but that's not really my thing. Probably just stay home."

Dan's eyes lit up, and he quickly swallowed his food. Maybe it had been the right response? "You want to come over to mine?" he asked hopefully. "I've got some 'spooky' video games and a fuckton of candy if you don't have anything planned?" I raised an eyebrow in curiosity at his eager and anxious expression.

I shrugged, smiling. "Sounds good. My parents will probably be with the Andersons, so I won't be missed."

Dan's grin stretched across his whole face. "Great!"

Dan's POV

Really, I didn't have best friend for my entire life leading up to meeting Phil. I wondered how he would feel about being called my best friend. We had only been friends for a few days and I already wanted him in my life forever. Platonically, romantically, whatever. I felt this of _need_ for him, the way Earth needs the sun. He was so bright, so happy, and so strangely _friendly_. Not the phony way all of Sophia's groupies were, but in a way that made me feel like he wanted to really actually be friends with me. Like I actually mattered to him.

I needed to slow the hell down.

I smiled affectionately at him as he began to tell an extravagant story about a ski trip his family had taken a few years prior. Apparently he had an older brother, which made me smile even more. I was constantly finding out new things about the boy, so I filed this away in the section of my brain that had become devoted to Random Facts About Phil.

Sadly, lunch was coming to a close. I got up and walked to the nearest trash bin, dumping my tray all the while listening to Phil talking about his online snowboarder persona, which was sort of connected to the ski trip. Kind of? I was fascinated with how Phil's mind worked.

"No science today!" Phil chirped. I beamed at him as we left the cafeteria. This meant we had a free period. "You want to study with me in the library? That's what I normally do with free periods, at least." Phil seemed to be holding his breath.

"Sure, nerd. The library it is!"

…

The library was huge, and beautiful, complete with tall wooden stacks stuffed full of books and a balcony. Slim desks lined some of the walls housing PCs, and wide tables were scattered throughout the space. A few students milled about the isles, searching through the sea of books, while others were strewn throughout the large space at a few of the tables.

Phil wandered for ages picking out a few books, apparently dropping the pretense of studying and revealing the real reason we were there: reading. Not that I minded, really; I actually enjoyed reading. We were seated at a table, books and school supplies scattered around us. Phil was deeply invested in one of the novels he had checked out, his legs crossed underneath him on the chair and head propped up in his hands.

I was skimming through a Stephen King book someone had left on the table before us when a shadow passed over me. I glanced up. There was a kid in pale jeans and a sports jersey of some sort standing in front of our table staring disdainfully down on us. I obviously didn't recognize the team, as I couldn't care less about sports. He had that haircut with the fuckboy quiff, and clinging to his arm was a wide-eyed girl in white Converse and a messy bun. It was the most stereotypical straight couple I had seen so far at that school. I hated him instantly.

"May I help you?" I asked noncommittedly, looking back down at the book. My fingers grazed over the pages as I flipped through the pages, giving me an uninterested and maybe even bored air. The boy cleared his throat and I squinted up at him.

"I'm Jacob. This is Olivia. I'm assuming you're the new boy, then? Sophia told us about you." The boy, Jacob, began. I grimaced at not only how they completely ignored Phil, but at the fact that this girl was probably Sophia's friend Oliva that had texted me before. I nodded slowly. The boy pursed his lips, and exchanged a glance with the girl before dropping down into one of the seats across from us. The girl did the same.

"Your clothes look hella gay," Jacob suddenly said. I looked up from the book again, unimpressed. _How original_. Phil's head jerked up and he stared at Jacob in…shock? No, that wasn't it. It was something else.

"Thanks. They came out of the closet this morning," I replied blandly. Phil, who had went back to his book, laughed shortly, surprising himself, and looked up at me in disbelief. Both Jacob and Olivia's eyes were the sizes of dinner plates.

"Dan!" Phil hissed. "You can't just _say_ that!" I shrugged. "Why not?"

I looked over at Olivia and Jacob briefly before turning back to Phil and saying, "Honestly, of all the things queer about me, he chooses my clothing?" I roll my eyes and turn back to Jacob. "It's called bisexual, asshole. Be more inclusive if you're going to insult me. Or, _attempt_ to insult me."

I went back to my book, smug, whilst Jacob stood up and yanked Olivia out of her chair, storming from the library. I closed the book once they were gone and looked at Phil. His eyes were wide and his book lay forgotten on his lap. I waited patiently.

"That was interesting." He whispered finally, avoiding my eyes. I cracked a grin. "Sure was." He looked up at me, starting to smile too. "You're going to lose friends by doing that, Daniel."

I rolled my eyes. "Doing what, Phil?"

"Saying, um, 'offensive' stuff like that." He seemed unsure.

"Will I offend you?" I asked. We were both smiling by then.

"Nope."

"Then it looks like I don't have any friends I need to worry about losing."

 **A/N: Welcome back, and happy late Thanksgiving to my fellow American peeps! Shopping was hectic yesterday. I love Thanksgiving, but I don't know if all you other countries are missing out on much. Anyways, onto the important stuff! Dan and Phil aRe gOiNG oN tOUR?! I feel so proud of those beans! I'm so excited for them, even if I don't end up going. Also, I apologize for how late this chapter is. The thing is, I wrote about ¾ of this chapter out on paper, so I had to type everything out which takes** _ **forever**_ **. But fear not! I have a plan! I hate not having a schedule for this fic. So here it is! I will try to update every other week on Monday or Tuesday, starting this upcoming week. Obviously, there will be times when I'm unable to stick by this new plan, but I will try my very hardest. So, with that said, see all you lovelies in a few days!**

 **p.s. so sorry about my excessive use of the ellipsis in this chapter, aka all the time skips. literally just a filler chapter but whatever it's fine**


	11. Chapter 11

**YES HELLO LOVELIES I AM BACK IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE HALLOWEEN CHAPTER AHHH**

 **p.s. also idk what day Halloween would be on but for the sake of this fic it's gonna be on a Saturday**

Phil's POV

It was quite odd, really, how slow the following week was. Technically, the week was just as long and just as short as any other average week of the year. But it seemed so much longer once I actually had something to look forward to.

Halloween.

Halloween ended up falling on a Saturday. I suggested coming over sometime after noon, but Dan immediately shot me down and instead insisted on me staying the night Friday as well.

"Are you absolutely, positively, _one-hundred_ _percent_ sure two nights is okay?" I asked Dan Thursday at lunch for what was probably the twentieth time. Dan just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Phil. For the last time: its _fine_." He answered as he stabbed a piece of lettuce. I really didn't have any desire to end up like that piece of lettuce, so I snapped my mouth shut.

Dan had taken to sitting with me at lunch daily, a fact that made me tremendously, oddly, ridiculously happy. Also, as it seemed, a fact that did not sit well with Sophia.

My childhood friend was constantly glaring at the two of us, or blatantly ignoring us as she sashayed flamboyantly by our nearly empty table. Dan didn't seem to be too bothered by it, though I had caught him glancing down at his phone with a grimace more than a few times. I knew it was because of Sophia. Interestingly enough, Sophia never gave _me_ anything more than the evil eye.

I brought it up to Dan one day late into the week, out of curiosity as to why she seemed to target Dan more than she did me.

Dan had scoffed, claiming Sophia just couldn't bring herself to hurt me. "She's mighty good at pretending hating you, but she could never be honestly mean to you."

I insisted on seeing her messages to him then, realizing the bitter truth in what he had said. I had accepted by then Sophia harbored feelings for me, but I also came to the understanding that all Sophia saw Dan as was a lousy rival who, for all she cared, deserved her icy words that struck harder than any punch. I didn't know what exactly how it had happened, but Dan went from a potential love interest to a fake boyfriend to her most despised acquaintance. Dan refused to give me his phone.

That same Thursday, as Dan continued to make green gore out his salad with his fork, I asked him another question. I didn't know why I did, and it left us both feeling rather melancholy.

"Why don't you hold my hand anymore?" I asked quietly. Dan froze, a slow pink blush creeping across his cheeks. He stared down at his tray and, after contemplating it for at least twenty agonizingly slow seconds, he set his lettuce-laden fork down and looked me in the eye.

Dan's own eyes swam with an emotion I recognized but couldn't quite place. Regret? Loneliness? Heartbreak? Whatever it was, it was something. Something significant. "I didn't think you wanted me to."

I thought back to that fateful car ride. He had stayed within friendly boundaries (as per my wishes) since proclaiming he was going to become my best friend.

"I don't know." I mumbled, breaking eye contact. I fiddled with my own fork, plastic, for a brief moment before meeting his eyes again. Dan's eyes searched mine. I don't know what he was saw, but he seemed to find what he was looking for. He sat back and said, strangely soberly, "Okay, Phil. Okay."

I didn't bring it up again.

We both appeared to pretend it never happened, and then suddenly it was Friday afternoon.

Dan was bouncy and smiling when he strode up to my locker after the final bell rang. Both shy and boisterous voices chorused different versions of, "Hi Dan!" but he only seemed to have eyes and ears for me. He sent plenty of noncommittal greetings in every direction, but his eyes stayed locked on me as I stuffed stacks of books and folders into my backpack.

"Are you ready for the _best_ Halloween _ever_?" Dan implored suavely as he slid up dramatically to my locker. I slung my bookbag and my overnight back over each of my shoulders and slammed the door shut, smiling at the brunet. (By _slammed_ , of course, I mean casually and gently close my locker door quietly.)

"I doubt there's any way I could prepare myself if it's really the, quote unquote, 'best Halloween ever'," I said mockingly, smirking. I nudged him teasingly as we began walking out of the school. "Got any crazy celebration plans up your sleeve?"

Dan held up his arms as he grinned guiltily. "Unfortunately, Philip, I'm wearing short sleeves. No crazy plans up my shoulders either."

I smiled. The amount of smiling I did around that boy could be lethal. It was practically inhuman. He could be charged with the same thing, however, so I doubt he even noticed my excessive beam.

"How do you feel about Mario Kart and spookily wrapped candy? Crazy party stuff right there, right?" Dan asked as we approached the parking lot.

"Breaking out the Mario Kart, huh? You must be pretty confident in the survival of our friendship." I joked. Dan just gave me a mildly confused look. I stopped in my tracks after he did so, gasping overdramatically.

"Dan! Mario Kart is the _Ultimate Test of Friendship_!" I explained vivaciously, adding in my attempt at theatrical explosion noises. Dan started to laugh.

"I think you're being a tad dramatic, Phil," he scoffed, before slyly adding with a grin, "I'll totally crush you though, and you will forever be in awe of me and my admirable skills, whilst still being inconsolable about losing."

I burst out laughing at his ridiculous statement, as did Dan.

By then, we had made it to my car. I swung my keys around in my hands, grinning, as I approached the driver's door. Both my enthusiastic mood and my energy seemed to be spiking up. "Are you ready for our Halloween adventure, Danny?" I asked eagerly. Perhaps too eagerly, because just then my keys flew out of my hands and launched themselves in the air. They landed with a crack a few feet away.

Dan took one look at my guilty smile and scattered keys, and immediately walked around the car to take them from me.

"On a regular day, Phil, you're semi-bad at driving. A _regular day_." He disapprovingly chided, scooping up the keys and nudging me away from the car door.

I rolled my eyes but smiled as he herded me along to the other side of the car, knowing he was fighting a smile as well.

"Are you suggesting today isn't a _regular day_?" I asked as I slid into the passenger seat. It came out a lot more flirtatious than I intended.

Dan gave me a stern look as he started the car. "Seatbelt."

I grinned and buckled the strap. "What a skillful way of completely ignoring my question."

Dan glanced quickly at me, finally grinning back. "Thank you."

* _one car ride later_ *

Dan's POV

Yes, Phil, you were right. I was indeed suggesting Friday was not to be a normal day. I didn't have anything specific planned, but there was a gut feeling that just knew something was going to happen. After all, I was spending two nights and almost three days with a boy who I was pretty sure was the actual love of my life. How could something _not_ happen?

I was finally admitting it: I had a huge crush on Phil. A huge, noticeable, undeniable crush on the cutest boy I'd ever seen. And he was in my house.

Phil stood in front of the door with bated breath. I didn't know why, exactly, he wasn't moving, but he was stuck in place. His eyes roamed around the front rooms hungrily, as if he could soak everything all in at once. Personally, I didn't think there was that much to look at, but Phil seemed to be proving me otherwise. He looked at the walls, the floors, even the goddamn ceilings. It reminded me of when I first met him.

He had, after all, been standing stock, gazing around with a blank expression. He looked similar to that as he seemed to be absorbing every single thing in about my house as he possibly could. I remembered what I had thought about Phil then, about how I wouldn't mind dancing with him. I'd have to do that sometime.

Just the very thought of that night for some reason brought a hot blush to my pale cheeks, and I felt the fire spread across my whole face. Phil, however, didn't notice. He had other distractions.

I shrugged off the hoodie I had yanked on before getting into Phil's car and kicked off my shoes. "Just toss your jacket anywhere, but keep your shoes on the mat." I quickly said, jolting Phil out of his stupor. I waved my hand around the room in a vague gesture. There were quite a few pieces of furniture to be used as a temporary coatrack. "I'll be right back."

I pattered down the hall to the kitchen, looking for my mother. She was humming along quietly to some music in her head, flipping through a cooking magazine at the kitchen table. She was facing the doorway, but she was so engrossed in her mind and magazine she didn't notice me until I tapped her shoulder silently. Obviously, she jumped, and whirled around before facing me again with wide eyes.

I smiled at her startled expression. "Hey, Mum. We're home." She smacked me lightly on the shoulder, standing up.

"What have I told you about sneaking, Daniel?" She asked, sternly, but with laughter in her eyes. "I thought-" She suddenly froze as her gaze locked onto something behind me. Or, some _one_ , to be exact.

I spun around. Phil was standing in the doorway, his jacket folded neatly over his arms. His shoes were gone, revealing mismatched patterned socks crumpled at the ankles. He smiled weakly at both of us. He was clearly nervous. Strangely, I felt a surge of pride over him go through my body. In my head, that tall boy with the dark hair and crazy socks was mine. My best friend, my one true love. _Damn, I was cheesy._

My mother smiled affectionately at him. "Hello. I'm Dan's mother," she said, her voice calmingly smooth as she stepped forward and stuck out her hand. "You must be Phil."

Phil shook her hand lightly. "It's nice to meet you."

Mum smiled back at him. "Likewise," she said simply.

It was the most awkward thing I had ever witnessed.

"Well, Mum, hate to interrupt this and all," I interjected. "But, you know, I'm sure you are _very_ busy tonight, right? We don't want to keep you waiting." I gave my mom a direct look, and her eyes widened as it clicked.

" _Oh!_ Right!" She said, faking realization. "Dad's working late tonight, and I'll be out with a few people from work. You boys will have the house to yourself for most of the night then, okay?" She then winked, smiling massively. I rolled my eyes and muttered a "thanks, Mum," before dragging Phil out of the kitchen. He called out some sort of pleasantry behind us as I led him to the staircase. I dropped his wrist, and took a deep breath.

"You want to see my room?" I asked. I was nervous. Why the hell was I nervous?

Phil smiled. "Lead the way," he said, sticking his hand out. I too it in mine. His hand was soft and warm and strong. My insides were melting.

Bloody hell. I was not going to survive the weekend.

 **A/N: okie dokie guys this was just part one, the "prologue" of sorts for Halloween. Guaranteed cute Phan stuff in the next chapter, and also a special thank you to Taco; your review really made my day and I'm glad I was of some sort of help :)**


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